2026/01/26 by Maja Janmyr · 1 voice
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Historical and Contemporary Political Dynamics #Middle East Politics and Society #Migration, Refugees, and Integration
paper · doi:10.1017/s1740022825100326
openalex publication_date 2026/01/26 · openalex created_date 2026/01/27 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21
Abstract The global expansion of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is an understudied area of research, particularly in the Middle East. The issue is often framed through a linear, state-centric lens that oversimplifies its complexities and subordinates the role of microprocesses and individual actors. This article contributes to global and refugee history through a microhistorical study of the establishment of UNHCR’s branch office for the Middle East in Beirut in 1962. It challenges the assumption that UNHCR’s globalization process unfolded in a systematic and well-reasoned manner and presents three interconnected arguments: first, the selection of Beirut was neither purely systematic nor entirely haphazard; second, UNHCR representatives enjoyed significant freedom in shaping the structure and functions of branch offices; and third, pragmatic diplomacy, rather than strict formalization through an agreement, ensured smooth relations between UNHCR and the Lebanese government.